A biased look at psychology in the world

Research in the News

December 07, 2017

A new study in the journal Addictive Behaviors presents a review of the literature regarding the prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in any population, organized in a linear manner spanning the emergence of the earliest publications regarding gaming addiction in the 1990s, through the end of 2016. The most striking finding of this review of IGD prevalence over time was how little the measured prevalence has changed, despite 15 years of technological advancement, increased internet penetration around the world, and ever more sophisticated games available. It might be presumed that increases in Internet access would allow for progressively greater exposure to internet gaming, yet disordered gaming does not appear to have increased as exponentially as has exposure. Conclusions were limited by the variable measurements and quality of the studies which met inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies were also drawn from school populations as this phenomenon is being studied more closely in adolescents; however, this limits generalizability to the wider population which would be needed in a study specifically examining prevalence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

November 30, 2017

“The broken heart. You think you will die, but you keep living, day after day after terrible day.” - Charles Dickens

According to Center For Disease Control statistics, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States with an estimated 44,193 Americans killing themselves each year. But that may well be the tip of the iceberg considering that only one in 25 suicide attempts will actually be fatal. As well, there may be no way to tell how many deaths believed to be due to natural causes or accidents are actually suicides. Still, while health statistics confirm that more people than ever are attempting suicide, advances in emergency medicine and new research into the psychological roots of suicide may succeed in reversing this trend.

While researchers have identified different risk factors for suicide, relationship or marital problems seem to stand out in particular. Not only are people dealing with relationship abuse or emotional conflict at particular risk for suicide attempts, but studies also show that terminating a relationship can boost suicide risk as well. In the same way that being in a committed relationship helps protect against stress or depression, this same sense of commitment may become dangerous once that relationship dissolves. Since any romantic relationship requires a significant investment of time, emotional bonding, shared friendship, and property, the sudden end of any relationship can have serious consequences.

Goal setting theory has been studied and adopted in a wide variety of domains including game design. While goals can help people regulate and change behavior, they are less motivating when people no longer believe they can meet their goals. Previous literature suggests that having two goals–a primary goal and a backup goal–might help people continue striving even when the primary goal becomes unattainable. A new study in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies evaluated this hypothesis and found no direct relationship between two goals and performance. However, people having two goals had higher self-appraisals of their performance than those with one goal. People in the two-goal condition also played more rounds or spent more time in games. However, a high percentage of people stopped playing after achieving their backup goal. These results have the potential to enhance game experiences and may extend to other domains, such as health behavior change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

November 23, 2017

There is certainly is no disputing that children are putting in more media time than ever. Along with televisions, smartphones, texting, and video games, many children now have personal computers, digital music players, and the Internet to fill every waking moment. And evidence suggests that even toddlers and preschoolers now joining the digital masses.

Still, despite repeated warnings from public health experts and researchers, actual research looking at how addictive digital media really is remains fairly limited. In fact, up to now, much of that research has focused on video games addiction. Based on available research, the American Psychiatric Association has even proposed a new diagnosis, Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Based on other forms of addictive behaviour such as problem gambling, symptoms that might indicate IGD include: spending excessive amounts of time online, inability to control use, loss of interest in other activities, etc.

But can these same symptoms be applied to other kinds of screen media use? And can those symptoms appear differently in children under the age of twelve than they do in adolescents? A new research article published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture attempts to answer both of these questions.

November 22, 2017

Since post-traumatic headache is one of the most prevalent and long-lasting post-concussion sequelae, causes significant morbidity, and might be associated with slower neurocognitive recovery, a new study in the Journal of Headache and Pain evaluated the use of concussion screening scores in a concussion clinic population to assess for post-traumatic headache. Using a retrospective cross-sectional study of 254 concussion patients from the New York University (NYU) Concussion Registry, data on the headache characteristics, concussion mechanism, concussion screening scores were collected and analyzed. Results showed that 72% of the patients had post-traumatic headache. About half (56.3%) were women. The mean age was 35 (SD 16.2). 90 (35%) patients suffered from sport-related concussions (SRC). Daily post-traumatic headache patients had higher Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT)-3 symptom severity scores than the non-daily post-traumatic headache and the headache-free patients (50.2 [SD 28.2] vs. 33.1 [SD 27.5] vs. 21.6 SD23], p < 0.001). Patients with SRC had lower headache intensity (4.47 [SD 2.5] vs. 6.24 [SD 2.28], p < 0.001) and SCAT symptom severity scores (33.9 [SD 27.4] vs. 51.4 [SD 27.7], p < 0.001) than the other patients, but there were no differences in post-traumatic headache prevalence, frequency, and Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) scores. Researchers concluded that the presence and frequency of post-traumatic headache are associated with the SCAT-3 symptom severity score, which is the most important predictor for post-concussion recovery. The SCAT-3 symptom severity score might be a useful tool to help characterize patients’ post-traumatic headache. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

November 21, 2017

A new research study suggests that elderly people dealing with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study, which was recently published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, examined OSA due to previous research suggesting that it might accelerate cognitive decline in people at risk for AD. According to lead researcher Ricardo S. Osorio, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, proving a causal link has been difficult up to now since OSA and AD often share risk factors and commonly coexist.

The study examined 208 participants aged 55 to 90 using a series of clinical tests including sleep testing to monitor breathing while they slept. None of the participants had been previously diagnosed with OSA or had other medical conditions that might have affected study results. Results showed that more than half of the participants had some form of OSA with 16.8 percent having moderate to severe breathing problems at night.

Of these, 104 participants then took part in a two-year study that included undergoing lumbar punctures to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as well as PET scans to measure amyloid beta plaque deposits in the brain. Amyloid beta is a peptide that has been implicated in the development of cognitive problems linked to dementia. Research findings showed a significant correlation between OSA severity and decreased amyloid beta peptides in the CSF over time as well as increased amyloid deposits in the brain.

Surprisingly enough however, OSA doesn't appear to predict cognitive deterioration in healthy adults. According to study coauthor Andrew Varga of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, the measures use may not pick up on the very subtle cognitive changes often found in the very early stages of AD. As for cognitive changes that can be detected, there is no reliable way of telling them apart from the cognitive problems linked to lack of sleep.

Though much more research is needed, these results suggest that standard OSA treatments such as CPAP, dental appliances, and positional therapy may help delay dementia in older adults. "Results from this study, and the growing literature suggesting that OSA, cognitive decline and AD are related, may mean that age tips the known consequences of OSA from sleepiness, cardiovascular, and metabolic dysfunction to brain impairment," Dr. Osorio said in a recent interview. "If this is the case, then the potential benefit of developing better screening tools to diagnose OSA in the elderly who are often asymptomatic is enormous."

Considering that AD and other forms of dementia already affect millions of people worldwide, a number that will certainly increase as Baby Boomers grow older, finding better ways of helping patients cope with memory loss can play a critical role in future health care.

November 16, 2017

Though they may seem like polar opposites, the difference may not be as great as you think. Many of the character traits linked to psychopathic behaviour, including brashness, fearlessness, and a willingness to take risks, have also been associated with the kind of heroic behaviour we admire as well. Behavioural geneticist David T. Lykken even went so far as to say that "the hero and the psychopath may twigs off the same genetic branch" and researchers are finding new evidence to bear that out.

There have even been some intriguing historical examples of larger-than-life individuals who showed many of the characteristics associated with psychopaths as well as heroism. For example, Andrew Jackson, a.k.a. "Old Hickory", has been described as a "successful psychopath" who distinguished himself as the seventh President of the United States despite a long history of antisocial behaviour including numerous barroom brawls and duels in which he killed a man. Even as President, he was known for his fiery temper and once nearly beat an attempted assassin to death with his cane before alarmed witnesses managed to stop him. Not surprisingly, Jackson ranked third in a 2012 study looking at 42 U.S. presidents evaluated for key traits of psychopathy displayed during their lifetime.

But how many other "successful psychopaths" are there out there and how are they able to succeed when so many other psychopaths run afoul of the law? Certain there has been intriguing new research looking at the various traits associated with psychopaths (eg., fearlessness, narcissism, Machiavellianism, sensation seeking, etc.) and how it could lead to success in business, extreme sports, law, and the military. For that matter, many of the traits identified by Tom Wolfe in his 1979 book, "the Right Stuff" describing the first Project Mercury astronauts, can be found in psychopaths as well.

To explore the question of how psychopathy can be linked to heroic behaviour, a new research study published in the journal Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment examined a sample of first responders and how they scored on standard of personality and psychopathy. Christina L. Patton of West Virginia University and Emory University researchers Sarah Francis Smith and Scott O. Lilienfeld focused on first responders (i.e., police officers, military personnel, member, emergency medical technicians [EMTs], and firefighters) because they were more typical of the kind of heroism that can be guided by personality. As they pointed out, first responders are known for the acts of "small h heroism" they carry out on a daily basis making them easier to measure than the more infrequent acts of "big H heroism" that largely come down to being in the right place at the right time. Along with looking at psychopathic traits in general, the researchers also looked at leadership skills since many heroic actions require the ability to organize groups to help others in emergency situations. They specifically focused on transactional leadership skills (promoting compliance through rewards and punishments) since this is the leadership style that works best in a crisis.

A new study published in the International Journal of Rehabilitation Research investigated the following free-text terms: commercial games, video games, exergames, serious gaming, rehabilitation games, PlayStation, Nintendo, Wii, Wii Fit, Xbox, and Kinect. The search was limited to peer-reviewed English journals. The beginning of the search time frame was not restricted and the end of the search time frame was 31 December 2015. Only randomized controlled trial, cohort, and observational studies evaluating the effect of VGs on physical rehabilitation were included in the review. A total of 4728 abstracts were screened, 275 were fully reviewed, and 126 papers were eventually included. The following information was extracted from the selected studies: device type, number and type of patients, intervention, and main outcomes. The integration of VGs into physical rehabilitation has been tested for various pathological conditions, including stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, balance training, weight loss, and aging. There was large variability in the protocols used (e.g. number of sessions, intervention duration, outcome measures, and sample size). The results of this review show that in most cases, the introduction of VG training in physical rehabilitation offered similar results as conventional therapy. Therefore, VGs could be added as an adjunct treatment in rehabilitation for various pathologies to stimulate patient motivation. VGs could also be used at home to maintain rehabilitation benefits.

November 10, 2017

A little learning is a dangerous thing;/Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring;/There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. - Alexander Pope

How dangerous is to be overconfident?

While we may be impressed by people willing to make bold statements (especially at election time), the fact is that, more often than not, being overconfident can be a grave mistake. It's no wonder then that Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman stated in his 2011 book, Thinking Fast or Slow, that, if he had a magic wand to banish one judgmental bias from the world, he'd choose overconfidence.

Ironically enough however, the people who are most likely to be overconfident are the beginners who have had just received a taste of whatever skill or topic they are trying to learn. According to the popular "four stages of competence" model developed in the 1970s by Noel Burch and Thomas Gordon, the first and , arguably most dangerous, stage is what they termed unconscious incompetence. In other words, when someone is the early stages in learning a new skill, he or she may not realize how much more there is to learn.

Looking at popular culture, one classic example of an unconscious incompetent is the Sorcerer's Apprentice who, deciding to save himself some work, uses his master's magic book to do the work for him and, of course, failing miserably. Another popular meme that highlights the inability of many people to recognize their own incompetence is the famous Dunning-Kruger effect which evolved out of a classic 1999 study by social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger. While it tends to be applied largely to mediocre peoplewho overestimate their ability, the effect can be applied to any beginner in a new field who may not yet realize more training is needed.

A new research article published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology presents the results of six studies testing overconfidence in beginners and what it means for their performance. The authors, Carmen Sanchez of Cornell University and David Dunning of the University of Michigan, provided impressive evidence for what they called the "beginner's bubble hypothesis." According to this hypothesis, people who start out learning a task or skill usually begin with a feeling of caution or uncertainty until, following a few early successes, the "beginner's bubble" sets in. At this point,what initially seemed difficult appears much easier than originally feared. This is when the overconfidence kicks in and beginners become unconscious incompetents. Of course, what usually follows is a "correction period" when the overconfidence flattens out and skill continues to improve.

November 09, 2017

The 2016 presidential election was one of the most politically charged and volatile elections in recent history. The election also saw its first female candidate, Hillary Clinton, represent a major political party. Prior research is inconclusive on how biases can affect political outcomes, with some research showing that racism has affected presidential elections, while others have shown that sexism does not affect elections. However, agentic women often face discrimination and backlash when seeking positions of power. A new study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences sought to extend past work by examining the potential role of sexism in the 2016 election. After controlling for participant sex, time of participation, and political party identification, it was found that individual differences in hostile sexism and traditional attitudes toward women significantly predicted voting for Donald Trump. These results suggest that voter attitudes toward women may have played a role in the election outcome.